Father and Son
by Aprotny
Summary: Shortly after Ash is reunited with his father, Michael, Team Rocket kidnaps him and uses him to force Michael to join Team Rocket. Why do they want Michael of all people? Read the story to find out! I do not own Pokemon! Discontinued.
1. Michael

Elesa handed a badge to Michael. "Congratulations. You've earned the Bolt Badge."

Michael took the badge. "Thank you, Miss Elesa. I appreciate it."

A gym hand walked into the arena. "Elesa, your next challenger is here."

"Already?" Elesa was visibly surprised. "Well, he or she will have to wait until tomorrow morning so my pokemon can rest."

"I'll tell him that." The gym hand said and walked out the way he came.

Michael saw a familiar boy standing just outside the arena. "Miss Elesa, do you mind having an extra spectator tomorrow? I'd like to watch the gym battle, but I don't want to pressure him, so please don't tell him I'm there."

Elesa was confused. "I don't mind, but why keep it secret?"

"You'll find out tomorrow. Thank you, Miss Elesa. I'll see you tomorrow after the gym battle." With that said, Michael set out for the pokemon center.


	2. Gym Battle and Reunited

**I'm not good at battle scenes so the gym battle will be quick.**

Ash walked excitedly into the gym. The day before, he'd been told he'd have to wait because Elesa had just battled another challenger, but today was his day. He was going to win the Bolt Badge.

"Good morning." The gym leader said. "I'm Elesa and I'm the Nimbasa City Gym Leader."

Ash grinned. "I'm Ash Ketchum and this is my pal Pikachu. We're here for the Bolt Badge."

"So I've heard." Elesa replied. The two took their places on opposite ends of the field.

"There will be three pokemon each." The referee announced. "The challenger can substitute his pokemon at any time during the match. The first one to have all three pokemon unable to battle loses. Challenger gets the first move. Let the battle begin!"

Ash threw a pokeball. "Palpitoad! I choose you!"

"Go! Zebstrika!" Elesa sent out her Zebstrika.

"Palpitoad! Use Mud Shot!"

"Zebstrika! Dodge and use Flame Charge!"

Palpitoad fired mud at Zebstrika who successfully dodged and rammed Palpitoad with Flame Charge, which proved to have no damage.

"Palpitoad! Use Super Sonic!"

"Zebstrika! Use Double Kick!"

Palpitoad's Super Sonic hit Zebstrika before it could use Double Kick, leaving Zebstrika confused.

"Palpitoad! Use Mud Shot and follow it up with Hydro Pump!"

Zebstrika was successfully knocked out.

Elesa sent out her Emolga.

"Emolga! Use Attract!"

Attract hit its mark and Palpitoad fell in love with Emolga.

"Palpitoad! No!"

"Follow it up with Aerial Ace!"

Palpitoad was knocked out.

Ash sent out Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Use Electro Ball!"

"Emolga! Electro Ball!"

The Electro Balls met in midair, leaving neither side damaged.

"Pikachu! Use Volt Tackle!"

"Emolga! Dodge and use Attract!"

Pikachu hit Emolga before it could follow Elesa's orders.

"Great! Now use Iron Tail before it can recover!"

Pikachu hit Emolga with Iron Tail, throwing it into the ground.

"Emolga!"

"Finish it off with Thunderbolt!"

Emolga was knocked out.

Elesa sent out… Tynamo?

Ash was confused until Tynamo used tackle with amazing force.

"Tynamo! Use Tackle again!"

"Pikachu! Dodge it and use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu didn't manage to dodge in time.

"Tynamo! Finish this off with Tackle!"

"Pikachu! Um… Use Thunderbolt on the ground! Then, use Iron Tail!"

Everyone was confused at that!

The ground became rocky, making it so that Tynamo would have to attack head-on.

"Tynamo! Stop!"

It was too late. Iron Tail hit and Tynamo was knocked out cold.

**A little later…**

"Congratulations, Ash. You've won the Bolt Badge." Elesa told her challenger.

"Thank you!" Ash took the badge and cheered. "Alright! I won the Bolt Badge!" He put the badge in its spot in the badge case and admired it. Then, he put the badge case away just as he heard someone clapping.

He turned to see who it was.

Michael was walking towards him. "Great battle, Kiddo. Couldn't have done better myself."

Ash dropped his backpack and ran over to hug him. "Dad! How much did you see?"

Michael hugged back. "The whole thing. I arrived early to make sure I didn't miss a single move."

Ash beamed. "How'd I do?"

"Fantastic, Kiddo. That badge you just got proves it." Michael replied. "My golly, how'd you grow up so fast?"

Pikachu scrambled onto Ash's shoulder and tiled his head. "Pika?"

Michael picked him up. "So this is the famous Pikachu. I hope you've been taking good care of my little boy."

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"Good! It's nice to know my Ash isn't getting into dangerous things way over his head!" Michael said.

Everyone decided not to comment on that. Pikachu sweat dropped just thinking of all the things Ash had done that were 'way over his head'.

"What makes you think I'd get into things that are more than I can handle?" Ash asked.

"Your personality." Michael replied. "You know I'm just playing with you, Kiddo. I know I can count on you to accurately judge whether to call the police or take care of it yourself."

"I guess we should give you two some time to catch up." Elesa said. "Have fun." She turned and headed back inside the gym.

"We'll meet you back at the Pokemon Center, Ash." Cilan said. "Come on, Iris."

"But…" Iris began.

"Iris…" Cilan warned.

Iris crossed her arms, but followed Cilan anyways.

"What do you say to a meal together, my little winner?" Michael asked his son.

Ash nodded enthusiastically and they headed into town.


	3. The Deal

"How was that for a victory meal, Kiddo?" Michael asked.

"It was great!" Ash replied. "It was fun hearing about your journeys!"

"Same to you, although I feel you were leaving a large portion of it out." Michael smiled at his son.

Ash blushed. "Well…"

Just then, a hand reached out and yanked Ash into an alleyway.

"Ash!" Michael yelled, running in after him.

A group of people wearing black outfits each with an 'R' on their shirt surrounded the young boy, who was now unconscious, blocking Michael from getting to him.

"Team Rocket!" Michael shouted. "Let him go!"

One of the people, probably the leader, stepped forward. "Now why would we do that?"

"If you harm one hair on his head…" Michael began angrily.

"We have a proposal to make, Ketchum." The leader interrupted. "Do as we say, or the boy dies."

Michael froze. "You wouldn't."

"We have no need for the boy. You're the one who wants him to live." The leader told him. "Now, do we have a deal?"

Michael hesitated. "Cause him even the slightest amount of pain and the deal is off."

The leader held out his hand. "Deal."

Michael hesitated one last time before shaking it. "Don't hurt him. I'll do what you say."

The Team Rocket grunts tied Michael's hands behind his back and led him through the alleyways and out of the city. There, they climbed into a helicopter and set off for a secret location.

Lord knows what'll happen next.


	4. Chapter 4

When Ash woke up, he found himself on a cot in a dirty cell.

"Wh-where am I? Wh-where's Pikachu?" He mumbled. Remembering who he was with at the time, he added. "Wh-where's Daddy?"

The door to the cell opened and a Team Rocket grunt placed a tray of food on the cot next to him.

"Eat it. It's all you're going to get." The grunt told him and left, closing the door behind him.

Ash stared after him. Then, he turned to look at the meal. It contained a bowl of noodles, an apple, and a bottle of water.

He nervously ate some noodles. Nothing happened, so he ate some more and some more until it was all gone. Next, he gobbled down most of the apple and gulped down some water.

He suddenly felt dizzy. He fell back onto the cot and his eyes slid shut.

'Pikachu… where are you?'

**Meanwhile…**

"Are you ready, Ketchum?" Professor Zager asked Michael. "We know about your powers. You're going to use them to help us succeed in our plans."

"Is Ash safe?" Michael questioned.

"He will not be harmed, as agreed." Professor Zager replied.

"Then, yes. I'm ready." Michael answered.

"Place your hands here." Professor Zager told him. Michael obeyed and the professor attached a cuff to each wrist to make sure he didn't move.

Then, Professor Zager pulled a lever. Sparks flew and Michael felt himself being drained of his secret powers.

'I'm doing it for Ash.' He reminded himself and pushed on until he could stay awake no more.

He passed out.


	5. Trying to Break Free

**-"_"- =Pokemon talk**

"**_"= Human talk**

Pikachu tried to shock the Team Rocket grunts as they entered with pokemon food, but they were wearing rubber suits.

"We thought you'd like some company, Pikachu." One of the grunts said. He was holding Ash's pokeballs. "After all, you're going to be here for a long time." He released Ash's pokemon. "Your trainer abandoned you. Be glad we're willing to give you a home." He left.

The pokemon were puzzled.

-"Liar."- Pikachu hissed.

-"Pikachu, where's Ash?"- Oshowatt asked.

-"I don't know. We were separated, but I know he's being held prisoner somewhere. He definitely didn't abandon us."- Pikachu replied.

-"That's a relief. I was scared they were telling the truth."- Tepig said. -"I've been abandoned before and it's not fun."-

-"Ash would never do such a thing! He'd do anything for his pokemon! I've seen him do the craziest things just to save us!"- Pikachu growled.

-"If he's being held prisoner, like you said, than it's our turn to save him."- Snivy remarked. -"But first, we need a plan."-

Tranquill walked in a circle, surveying the room. –"It's going to be difficult getting out of here. This room is made to prevent pokemon from breaking out."-

-"Team Rocket's machines are always made to counter us, but Ash always finds a loophole."- Pikachu pointed out. –"This time, it's up to us to find that loophole. We'll work together."-

-"Let's hurry! Ash needs us!"- Swadloon said.

-"Okay! Everyone use their best attack on the door on the count of three!"- Pikachu said. –"One… Two… Three!"

Pikachu used Electro Ball, Swadloon used Energy Ball, Scraggy used Hi Jump Kick, Snivy used Leaf Storm, Oshowatt used Aqua Jet, and Tranquill used Air Cutter.

There was a small dent in the door when they were done, but it was barely noticeable.

-"This is going to take a while."- Swadloon sighed.

-"Well, we can't just give up! Ash is counting on us!" Pikachu yelled.

-"Pikachu's right! The more time we waste, the more time Team Rocket has to hurt Ash!"- Tepig said.

-"That's right!"- Pikachu said. –"Again! One… Two… Three!"-


	6. Escape and the Rebel Base

Time passed slowly for Michael and he was sure it was passing just as slowly for his son, who had nothing to do but count the minutes until his next meal.

Using Michael's powers, Team Rocket managed to quickly take over Unova. Then, they moved on to Kanto and Johto. After that came Hoenn and Sinnoh and all the rest of the regions.

Each time Ash's pokemon managed to get somewhere on the door, it was securely replaced by the guards. Months passed, and Pikachu finally devised a plan that would work.

-"Here's what we do: they come in to feed us, we attack with everything we've got. After that, we find Ash."- He told his companions, who agreed since they had nothing to lose.

-"We'll have to get our pokeballs back as well."- Tranquill pointed out. –"That'll make travelling and hiding easier."-

Pikachu nodded. –"We'll split up. Tranquill, you find the other group once we find Ash and hide outside. You can lead them to us once it's safe."-

-"Deal!"- Tranquill responded.

A few minutes later, when some Team Rocket grunts entered with their food, the plan was put into action. Tepig, Scraggy, and Oshowatt went one way. Pikachu, Swadloon, and Tranquill went the other.

**Meanwhile…**

"Michael! How could you?" Delia cried from behind Professor Oak. "I trusted you. We all trusted you!"

Michael bowed his head, wondering what he could say to his wife to make it okay.

"He's one of us now, lady. Unless you want to be held hostage, we suggest you don't try anything." The leader of the mission to take Pallet Town, which was one of the last Kanto strongholds, said.

Delia gulped, tears leaking down her cheeks.

Pokemon from Professor Oak's gardens fought Team Rocket, trying to keep them from taking Pallet Town, but failed, and the town went up in flame.

Michael watched his hometown burn in horror. 'How much longer can I keep this up? Will Delia still accept me after this? Even if I tell her the real reason I'm with Team Rocket?'

"Come on, Ketchum. We're done here." The mission leader told him.

Trying to hide his tears, Michael turned his back on what had once been his home and started to walk away.

'I… I can't take this anymore! I need to help Pallet Town! I'm sorry, Ash!' He spun around and called out his Blastoise. "Blastoise! Rain Dance!"

The mission leader grinned and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Ketchum broke his end of the deal."

**Back at the Team Rocket base…**

Pikachu Volt Tackled down yet another door. –"Argh! Not that one either!"-

-"Um… This one maybe?"- Tranquill pointed his wing at a similar door.

-"I'm not giving up until I find Ash!"- Pikachu yelled, using Volt Tackle again. That room was empty too.

"P-Pikachu?" A weak voice sounded behind one of the doors they hadn't tried yet. "Is…is that you?"

-"It's Ash!"- Swadloon gasped. –"It has to be!"-

Pikachu Volt Tackled the door the voice had come from behind, revealing Ash sitting on a cot.

"P-Pikachu!" Ash gasped. "Sw-Swadloon! Tr-Tranquill!"

He limped out of the cell and embraced his pokemon. Shortly after he had exited the cell, an explosion sounded and, when the smoke cleared, the cot Ash had just been sitting on had been obliterated.

Ash gulped. "L-let's get out of h-here! Qu-quickly!" He tried to run, but tripped. "Or… or maybe not so… so quickly."

Pikachu, Swadloon, and Tranquill followed Ash as he made his way out of the building, helping as much as they could. They travelled a little ways before Ash decided to hide.

"I need to rest." He told his pokemon. "I'm not feeling very well."

As soon as he was asleep, Tranquill went back to find the others.

-"Did you find Ash?"- Tepig asked when she found them.

-"Yes. Just in time too. He almost got killed. He's weak, but I'm sure he'll be all right."- Tranquill answered. –"I see you have the pokeballs. Good. Follow me."-

Tranquill led the way back to Ash, who was still asleep.

-"Will he be okay?"- Oshowatt asked.

-"I hope so."- Pikachu replied. Just then, they heard footsteps. –"Someone's coming!"-

They all hid, except Tepig, who didn't manage to conceal himself in time.

"Wow! A Tepig!" A boy about Ash's age exclaimed. His expression saddened. "I'd battle you, but Team Rocket would see the attacks and I'd be done for. I hear they have a base not far from here."

Tepig hesitated, wondering if he should ask for the boy's help. He noticed the boy had a Pikachu, proving he wasn't from Unova.

-"Sparky!"- Pikachu jumped out from his hiding spot. –"It's so good to see you again!"-

-"Pikachu! What are you doing here?"- The Pikachu that was obviously named Sparky asked.

-"It's a long story! Right now, we need your trainer's help!"- Pikachu exclaimed.

"Woah. Pikachus in Unova are quite rare. Where's your trainer?" Sparky's trainer asked.

Pikachu pointed at the bush where Ash had hidden himself.

-"Pikachu! What're you doing? How do we know we can trust him?" Snivy hissed.

-"It's okay! He's a friend!"- Pikachu replied. –"Besides, Ash needs help! We can't just wait for a Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny to come along because that won't happen!"

"Ash!" Sparky's trainer gasped. "Ash! Wake up! Wake up!" He checked Ash's temperature. "Uh oh! He has a fever! What do I do now?"

Voices were heard not far away. Team Rocket was searching for their escaped prisoner.

Sparky's trainer dove into the bushes, Tepig and the two Pikachus doing the same.

"Where could that boy be?" A Team Rocket grunt passed by. "I don't see how he managed to get away. That explosion should've killed him."

"Let's not focus on the how right now." Another Team Rocket grunt replied. "We need to focus on the where."

The two grunts walked away from them and Sparky's trainer peeked out.

"I've got to get Ash somewhere safe." He whispered. "But how?"

Ash moaned and sat up dizzily. "Where am I?"

"Ash. Be quiet." Sparky's trainer hissed.

"Huh? Richie?" Ash mumbled.

The Team Rocket grunts passed by them again.

"That's that. We'll have to report to Giovanni that the boy escaped." The first one said.

The second shivered. "Not looking forward to it. Wish we'd put a tracker on the kid."

After they'd been gone a little while, Richie helped Ash up. "C'mon. I know a place where you'll be safe."

"Is it far?" Ash asked.

"No, but, the problem is, I don't know its exact location." Richie admitted. He noticed some pokeballs on the ground. "Are these yours? I'll put them in my bag."

-"Richie's been searching this area for a rebel base for two days now."- Sparky told Ash's pokemon.-"He wants to help drive out Team Rocket."-

Suddenly, the Team Rocket grunts returned. The whole group froze.

"There he is!" The first grunt shouted. "You're coming with us!"

As sudden as the grunts return had been, people swung down on vines, surrounding the group.

Elesa stepped forward, her eyes flashing in surprise when she saw Ash. "Tie up those grunts. You two, come with us."

Richie's eyes lit up. He was finally going to be able to join the rebellion.

Helping Ash along, he followed the rebels, the pokemon not far behind.

Elesa led the group to a wide tree. She stuck her finger in a small, barely noticeable hole and a light came out, scanning the group. A passageway opened and they descended into the ground.

"An underground base. No wonder I couldn't find it." Richie commented.

"What's going on, Elesa? Why aren't you at the gym?" Ash asked.

Elesa turned to look at him. "You don't know?"

Ash shook his head. "I was Team Rocket's prisoner. I don't know what's been going on for the last four months two weeks and three days."

Elesa raised an eyebrow. "You counted?"

Ash sighed. "I had nothing better to do. My pokemon saved me from certain death today. Actually, depending on how long I slept, it could've been yesterday."

"Why? You didn't do anything wrong." Elesa said. "You might have ruined a plot or two, but not since they took over Unova."

Ash's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"You might have ruined a plot or two?"

"No. After that."

"Team Rocket has taken over Unova."

Ash sank to his knees. "That's not possible."

"It's true, though." Elesa replied softly. "As much as we wish it wasn't so, Team Rocket is in charge now. Don't stop now, we're almost there."

Ash stood up, but felt kind of dizzy.

"Ash!" Richie cried as Ash collapsed.

"We have an infirmary in the base! Darren, carry him!" Elesa ordered.

The group sped up, running into the underground camp two minutes later.

Rebels watched as they passed by, rushing Ash to the infirmary.

**Meanwhile…**

Iris arranged the herbs in alphabetical order. All she had to do now was wait for a patient.

Just then, the door to the infirmary flew open and Elesa came in with the rest of the group that had gone searching for recruits an hour ago. With them were a boy she didn't recognize and…

"Ash!" She gasped as her friend was laid on a bed. She ran over to him. "Is he okay?"

"Iris, you're the one in charge of the infirmary! Ignore the fact that he's your friend and get to work!" Elesa reminded her.

"Right!" Iris said and examined her friend before running to get the herbs she needed to treat him. Most of the group left, but a rebel named George and the boy she didn't recognize stayed.

Ash cracked his eyes open. "Richie? Where are we?"

"We're in the infirmary, Ash. You're sick." The boy Iris didn't know, Richie, said. "You can relax now."

Ash coughed. "What Elesa said… Is it true?"

Richie bowed his head. "I'm afraid so. I've been trying to find a rebel base so I could help stop them. I'm happy I can finally join one."

Ash was silent. "How could this happen?"

"There was a man with pokemon powers." George said. "He was helping Team Rocket, but I get the feeling he was reluctant. If we could just get him on our side, we might be able to win back our freedom."

Ash was startled. He knew his father had powers because he had them too and had asked his mother about them once, but his father would never work for Team Rocket. Unless…

He remembered the explosion shortly after he'd escaped. Had his father been obeying Team Rocket just to keep him alive? If so, what had finally caused him to disobey?

"Ash! Ash, snap out of it!" Iris snapped her fingers in front of Ash's face. He blinked and looked at her. "I need you to eat all of this, okay?"

Ash nodded and opened his mouth. The medicine tasted horrible, but he forced himself to swallow it.

"Do you know what the man with pokemon powers looked like?" He asked.

"He looked a lot like that man you went off with the day you were kidnapped, but I don't understand why." Iris replied.

Ash closed his eyes. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

"Who was that man, Ash? You said he was your dad, but, if he was, why did he kidnap you?" Iris asked.

"He didn't kidnap me. Team Rocket kidnapped me." Ash responded. He coughed again.

Iris examined him again. "We'll talk more later. Right now, you need to rest."

Ash sighed and pretended to be fall asleep, trying to make it as convincing as possible.

Apparently, it was.

"His dad is working for Team Rocket? Why would he do that?" Richie asked. "Especially after they kidnapped his son."

"I don't know, but there has to be a reason." Iris said.

Ash forced himself to stay awake. He wanted to listen more, but his exhaustion was overwhelming him.

"We'll have to ask him when he wakes up." Iris said. Those were the last words Ash heard before he gave in to sleep.


	7. Reunited

Michael sighed as he walked through the woods. Despite his saving the town, no one trusted him anymore. Probably because he was one of the ones that helped the fires start in the first place.

"What have I done?" He whispered. "How am I going to make things right again when no one will listen to me?"

-"You have to get to Unova. There's still a small chance Ash is alive."- Blastoise told him. Michael was able to understand the pokemon because of his powers. -"If he is, you need to teach him to use his powers. It's the only chance we have to save the world from Team Rocket."-

"But how can I get to Unova?" Michael thought out loud.

-"Stow away on a plane or something! There's got to be a way to get there!"- Blastoise responded.

Michael stopped. "Blastoise! You're a genius! We've got to get to the airport right away!"

-"Um… Glad I was of service to you…"- Blastoise stammered.

Michael beamed. "Blastoise, return."

With Blastoise safe in its pokeball, Michael set off for the airport.

**Days later…**

Ash took a breath of fresh air, happy to finally be able to leave the camp.

"Ash, don't push yourself too hard." Lenora reminded him. "You're just out of the infirmary and all we're doing is going to get supplies."

Ash nodded. "Don't worry. If anything happens, I've got Pikachu to help me, right buddy?"

-"That's right!"- Pikachu said. –"Nobody's going to hurt my Ash!"-

Ash smiled. Suddenly, the group stopped and Lenora stepped protectively in front of him.

"What do you want?" She questioned.

A familiar voice answered. "I'm just searching for my son, if… if he's still alive…"

Ash was startled. It sounded like his theory was correct, but there was only one way to know…

"You're 'just searching for your son', huh?" Lenora sneered. "And what are you going to do if you find him? Kill him?"

"Please… I…. I can explain…" Michael stammered.

"I doubt you're even looking for anybody! You're just trying to stall us so that your Team Rocket pals can attempt to ambush us!" Lenora continued.

"Please! Let me explain!" Michael begged.

"Team Rocket, we know you're there! Come and try us!" Lenora called.

"Talk any louder and they'll hear you and we'll all be in trouble!" Michael said urgently.

The rebels released their pokemon, who surrounded Michael.

"Lenora, can't you just let him explain?" Ash asked quietly.

Lenora glanced at him, surprised. "Fine. I'll let him explain, but only because you asked me to."

Michael gave a sigh of relief and explained. "It was because of my son. Team Rocket attacked my son and said they'd kill him if I didn't obey their every order. I did as they said, but, when they attacked my hometown, it was just too much. I saved the town, but I… I couldn't save my son. I'm praying that somehow, some way, he's still alive. That's why I came here. I had to find out if he was still alive."

'So that's why he disobeyed.' Ash thought to himself. 'He had to save Pallet Town. My theory on Team Rocket using me to threaten him was correct.'

"That's not all." Michael wasn't done yet. "My son and I… we have… well… special abilities. It's my belief that we can use them to stop Team Rocket, but I have to find him and teach him how to use them. All he knows now is how not to use them."

Richie, who was also along for the mission, narrowed his eyes. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"Don't you think we should move before Team Rocket finds out we're here?" Ash asked Lenora, still quietly.

Lenora glanced at him again. "Darren, Shelly, take this man back to base as a prisoner. We'll finish the mission."

Michael sighed, but didn't fight back as his hands were tied behind his back and he was taken away. As he was pushed past Lenora, he didn't even notice his son watching him.

The rest of the mission went by uneventfully and the group returned with barrels full of food.

Ash went straight to the bunkers so that he could have some time to himself.

'He came back to find me. He's hoping that I'm still alive even after what he's done.' He thought. 'He probably thinks it's a false hope. He probably thinks that I'm laying dead in the Team Rocket base, but he came anyways.'

-"Ash? Are you okay?"- Pikachu asked.

"I'm fine, Pikachu. Just thinking about my dad." Ash replied. "I should go see him, but I think it would be better if I left the situation up to the gym leaders."

-"I'm not sure I agree with that."- Pikachu said.

Ash pretended not to hear him.

Lenora stuck her head into the bunker. "Ash, I'd like to speak with you."

Ash got up and joined her outside the bunker. "What is it you want to talk to me about?"

"What do you know about the man we captured today?" Lenora asked.

Ash looked at the ground. "Um… he has special powers and he's looking for his son who also has special powers…"

"Do you know anything else you're not telling us?" Lenora questioned.

"Why'd you have to ask that? Yes. He comes from Pallet Town, just like me." Ash said. "He was a very good friend of my mother's."

"Does that mean you know his son?" Lenora asked.

"Yep. It does." Ash answered.

"How well do you know him?" Lenora questioned.

"Um…" Ash hesitated. "Pikachu's met him. He really likes him. Right, Pikachu?"

-"Just tell her you are him instead of telling half-lies…"-Pikachu said.

"Pikachu doesn't seem to like what you're saying. Are you lying to me?" Lenora asked.

"Not completely." Ash replied. "He _is_ a very good friend of my mother's and I _do_ know his son and Pikachu _does _like him."

"So what are you hiding?" Lenora narrowed her eyes.

-"He _is_ him!"- Pikachu said, pointing to Ash. –"Oh! I wish people could understand what I'm saying!"-

"I'm sorry, Pikachu. I don't speak pokemon." Lenora told him.

"Thank Arceus." Ash mumbled under his breath. Fortunately, Lenora didn't hear him.

"Well, even if you won't tell me anything else, I'd like you to come with me. We're going to confront him in a few minutes." Lenora said.

"Darn it." Ash murmured. Lenora heard him this time.

"Why don't you want to confront him?" Lenora asked.

"I just don't." Ash responded with the best answer he could come up with. "I want you guys to handle it."

"You're the one who wanted to hear his reason. Don't you want to know the whole story?" Lenora questioned.

Ash sighed in defeat. "I guess so. C'mon Pikachu."

-"Good. Lenora will find out the truth."- Pikachu said.

"Pikachu…" Ash groaned.

-"Wait. You understood me?"- Pikachu asked.

"Yes, I… I mean no. I didn't." Ash quickly corrected himself.

Lenora gave him a questioning look, but let it go.

Pikachu stared at his trainer curiously. How was it possible that Ash understood him? Was this what Ash's father had meant by special abilities?

They came within view of the holding cells. Three other gym leaders were waiting.

"Ash admitted he knew the guy, so I brought him along." Lenora explained to them.

Michael's head flew up at the name and he caught sight of his son. However, he didn't say anything.

"We have a few questions for you, Michael." Burgh said.

Michael was too focused on Ash to hear him.

Elesa cleared her throat. "Michael, did you hear a single thing we just said?"

Michael shook his head to snap out of it and turned to look at her "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Drayden narrowed his eyes. "We asked what your real reason for confronting our group was."

"I had no intention of confronting your group. I only came to this area searching for my son." Michael explained.

"So you're sticking with that story, huh?" Lenora questioned.

"It's not a story! It's the truth!" Michael insisted. "My son was taken away from me in Nimbasa City. Team Rocket threatened to kill him if I didn't obey their every order. I cared too much about him to disagree, so we made a deal. If they hurt him, they'd be breaking their end of the deal, and if I disobeyed, I'd be breaking my end. When they attacked Pallet Town, I couldn't take it anymore! I… I… called out my Blastoise and asked it to put out the fires. I came here in hopes that Ash managed to get away before they could kill him."

"Did you say Ash?" Burgh asked.

Michael nodded and they all turned to look at Ash, who took a step back nervously.

-"Can I say 'I told you so'?"- Pikachu asked.

Ash glanced at him but said nothing.

"Ash? You're Michael's son?" Lenora questioned.

Ash nodded. "Please don't hurt me."

"Why would we hurt you?" Drayden asked.

"If I hadn't gotten captured, none of this would've happened." Ash responded.

"You had no control over it, Ash." Elesa said. "We just wish you would've told us sooner."

"I didn't know for sure until today." Ash replied. "It was just a theory that that was what happened."

"Well, it was a pretty good theory." Lenora commented. "It doesn't matter, though. Are you sure he's telling the truth?"

"If not the whole truth, then at least part of it." Ash said. "We _were_ in Nimbasa City when Team Rocket grabbed me and knocked me out. I woke up in a cell and they _did_ try to kill me, but my pokemon helped me get away."

"Can you call out your pokemon so that I can sincerely thank them for saving you?" Michael asked.

Ash glanced at him. "Maybe later."

"Well, if you trust him, then we can let him out, but _only_ if we have someone watching him twenty four seven." Lenora said.

"Thank you." Ash told her. "He'll behave, _right Dad_?"

Michael chuckled. "It's strange having my son speak for me, but yes, I'll behave."

Drayden opened the cell door and let him out. "Burgh will be watching you to make sure you don't hurt anybody."

"Yep. Wait, what?" Burgh said.

"You'll be watching him." Drayden said. "No buts. Do it."

Burgh sighed and glanced at Ash. "Since I have no choice but to watch over him, I'd love to see these 'powers' Michael mentioned."

"No problem. I have to teach Ash how to use them anyways." Michael replied. "Is there any place we can go to train?"

"Sure. Follow me." Burgh said, leading the way to a training ground. "I'll be watching."

Michael smiled. "Just don't get in the way, okay?"

"As long as you don't try to hurt him, I'll stay back." Burgh agreed.

Michael turned to Ash. "So let's get started…"


	8. Training

"To begin, I want you to learn healing." Michael told his son.

"Healing?" Ash questioned.

"If someone gets hurt, aura healing can make them better really quickly. It's a painful process, but worth it in the end." Michael explained. "Because of the pain that accompanies it, aura healing is only used on broken or shattered bones, sometimes twisted wrists or ankles as well. We'll practice on broken bricks. Once you can mend those, you can try it on me." He broke a brick in half. "Place your hands on the brick, close your eyes, and picture it being whole again."

Ash did as his father said. Burgh watched in amazement as the brick slowly came together until he couldn't tell it had been broken at all.

"Impressive." Michael said. "You're a fast learner. Now you're going to try it on me."

Ash turned to look at him. "What? But that was beginner's luck."

"There's no such thing as beginner's luck when it comes to aura." Michael snapped his own arm. "Now do it again. This time, picture my bone being whole."

Ash nodded uneasily. A few minutes of healing passed. Then, he collapsed.

Burgh ran over to the two. "What happened?"

"Beginners always pass out after successfully completing their first healing job. If he'd failed, he wouldn't have collapsed." Michael explained. "It was the same with me when I was a kid. Of course, I started younger."

Burgh shook the young boy. "Ash! Ash, wake up!" Ash didn't answer. "How long until he comes to?"

"A few minutes." Michael replied. "He might be a little dizzy, but, other than that, he'll be fine."

**A few minutes later…**

Ash moaned and opened his eyes.

"Up and at 'em, Ash!" Michael said.

"What happened?" Ash asked, sitting up dizzily.

"You completed your first real healing job with your aura." Michael told him cheerfully.

"And I passed out?" Ash asked as his father helped him up.

"Yes, but that's normal." Michael responded.

"Am I going to pass out after the rest of the stuff you teach me too?" Ash questioned uneasily.

"Not all of it." Michael replied. "You need to practice your healing some more if you don't want to pass out after it. We'll be working on combat as well. You'll be mending everything you break, so be careful."

The two trained until Supper, when Ash wandered off to sit with his friends while Michael was ordered to sit near the gym leaders.

"Your attention please!" Lenora clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. Once all eyes were on her, she continued. "I have just been informed that Team Rocket has an inside source here in our Rebel Base."

The rebels started whispering. Ash glanced at his father.

"Quiet!" Lenora ordered. "At the moment, we have no idea who this inside source is. If any of you have any information, tell us immediately. Now, go ahead and eat and be careful tonight."

Everyone was silent as the meal went on. Gradually, the chatter returned, although it was worried chatter about the announcement.


	9. Attacked

Ash settled in bed that night feeling as if something was going to happen.

He was woken a few hours later by a shout. "Ash! Look out!"

Ash's eyes snapped open and he rolled out of bed just as a knife hit dead center where he had just been.

All the boys in the bunker heard the shout and jumped out of bed, fearing the worst.

A boy in Team Rocket attire, who, without the attire, was known in the camp as Jerry, towered over Ash, struggling to pull his knife out of the wooden bunk bed.

The knife popped out and Jerry turned to strike again.

Ash leapt up and ran for the door, but didn't get that far because the knife struck him in the leg, causing him to fall.

The other boys called out their pokemon to fight Jerry as Ash tried to get away.

"Where do you I think _you're_ going?" Jerry hissed.

"Zippo! Use Flamethrower!" Ritchie shouted.

Jerry spun around just to get hit head-on with Flamethrower. "Why you little…"

Ash crawled behind a bunk bed while the enemy was distracted. He noticed an alarm lever not too far from him and snuck towards it.

As he reached for the lever, the knife flew into his arm.

"Found you." Jerry snickered. "No escaping now."

"Leave him alone, you monster!" A boy named Henry shouted.

"Pikachu! Help!" Ash screamed to his still-sleeping pokemon.

Ritchie saw the alarm near Ash and realized what his friend had been attempting to do.

"Zippo! Pull that alarm!" He yelled.

"Alarm?" Jerry realized too late what was going on and the alarm blasted through all corners of the underground camp.

"Pika?" Ash's Pikachu opened his eyes sleepily, wondering what all of the racket was about, and then gasped when he saw his trainer was wounded. "Pikapi!"

Ash was starting to get dizzy from blood loss. Jerry saw his chance and thrust the knife into Ash's chest.

The adults burst into the room at that moment, just as all the boys gasped in horror.

Jerry smirked. "Do whatever you want with me now. I've completed my mission."

Michael shoved Jerry out of the way and knelt over his son. Pulling out the blood-covered knife, he placed his hands over the chest wound and started using aura healing on the boy.

Drayden grabbed Jerry and started pulling him out of the room.

"You can't save him!" Jerry shouted. "It's too late! Don't even bother trying!"

Michael ignored him, focusing instead on healing the quickly fading Ash.

Time passed slowly as the boys and remaining gym leaders waited for the result with bated breath.

Finally, Michael pulled away. "He'll live, but he's fallen into a coma I can't seem to get him out of."

Those who were holding their breath let it out.

"The poor boy." Lenora whispered. "He didn't do anything to deserve this." She turned to one of the boys. "We don't want to move him right now. Get Iris. She usually sleeps in the clinic. Hurry! And someone turn off that alarm!"

The boy scurried out of the bunker and raced towards the clinic.

He screeched to a halt outside the door and pounded on it as hard as he could.

Iris opened it almost immediately. "I heard the alarm. Who's hurt?"

"Ash." The boy answered.

Iris struggled to keep her posture at the news. "What are his injuries? I need to know which supplies to bring."

"Mostly flesh wounds. One of the adults said he'd fallen into a coma." The boy answered.

Iris grabbed some bandages and antiseptic creams and certain herbs and followed the boy back to the bunker. Everyone was still gathered around Ash, who was breathing lightly and still bleeding. Michael had only had enough energy to heal his chest wound, not his arm and leg.

Iris knelt by her friend and started working on bandaging the injuries. "Who did this?"

"Jerry was the inside source. He must've been told by Team Rocket to do this." Lenora said. "The question is: why?"

"They're doing it because Ash is my son and I left their ranks." Michael growled. "They're cruel, doing this to an innocent boy."

Iris finished bandaging Ash's arm and leg. "These are some bad wounds. It's best we don't move him much right now, but he'll be more comfortable in a bed."

Elesa and Lenora carefully worked to move Ash into a bed. Iris pulled the covers over him.

"There. He should be comfortable now." Iris said. "Let's just hope he wakes up soon. If something happens, he won't be able to protect himself if he's asleep." She felt his forehead. "No fever so far. I'll check on him every day to see how he's doing." She looked around at the boys who slept in the bunker. Her eyes fell on Ritchie. "Ritchie, you're in charge of taking care of him when I'm not. You need to protect him."

Ritchie nodded. "I won't leave his side any more than I have to."

Iris nodded back. "Good. Everyone go back to sleep. I'm sure nothing else will happen tonight."


	10. Tracey Enters the Picture

**A few months later…**

Tracey stumbled through the forest. He'd been taken from Professor Oak because the professor had been providing supplies to the rebel bases. Team Rocket had beaten him and he'd just managed to escape.

He heard footsteps and quickly hid. Through the bushes he saw some Team Rocket grunts pass by. Suddenly, the grunts were confronted by an assortment of people that Tracey suspected were rebels.

The rebels engaged in a pokemon battle with the grunts, winning and tying them up.

A woman stepped forward. "What are you doing out here? You jerks usually hang out in your little Unova headquarters."

"If you must know, we're looking for a young boy. About fourteen. Green hair. Black eyes. Shouldn't be hard to pick out." One of the grunts growled. "Little devil ran away."

"Oh. Too bad, so sad." The woman said sarcastically. She turned to the other rebels. "Let's find that boy before Team Rocket does. It sounds like he might need help."

"I think I found him." A man said. He was looking right at Tracey. He walked towards the boy and grabbed his shirt as he tried to get away. "Woah there, Kiddo. We just want to help."

Tracey looked at him warily. "Professor Oak said not to trust anyone until Team Rocket fell."

Surprise flashed into the man's eyes at the mention of Professor Oak. "You don't have to trust us completely right away, but at least let us help you."

The Team Rocket grunts struggled against their bindings. "Don't you dare go with them boy! If you do, we'll…"

Tracey didn't let them finish their threat. "If Team Rocket doesn't want me to go with you, you must be trustworthy."

The man nodded and turned to his fellow rebels. "Let's get him to Iris."

**A little later…**

Tracey nervously followed the rebels through the underground base to what looked like an infirmary. When they stepped inside, Tracey saw a bunch of herbs and medical supplies, but no people.

"She must be with Ash. George, go get her." The man who had seen Tracey first said. Tracey glanced at him when he said Ash's name. "Hey, Kid, lay down. You need to rest."

Tracey sat down on a bed, but didn't rest. He kept his eyes on the rebels at all times.

A girl with purple hair entered behind George. Tracey finally took his eyes off the rebels that had found him to look at her.

"Hello there. I'm Iris. I'm the nurse here at our base." The girl, Iris, told him. "I'll bandage you up and have you out of here in no time at all." She put antiseptic and bandages on some of Tracey's open wounds. "Now, tell me where it hurts."

Tracey pointed out the spots where he was most in pain and Iris examined them.

"It looks like you have a twisted ankle and a couple of broken ribs." Iris explained. "Don't worry though. You'll be fine. We've dealt with worse."

"I… I heard someone mention you were with Ash when I got here. Ash who?" Tracey managed to question.

"You mean my friend, Ash Ketchum?" Iris asked. "Yeah, I was with him when George came and got me. Why do you ask?"

"Ash Ketchum is a good friend of mine too." Tracey said. "Is he okay?"

"If you call currently in a coma and having occasional fever spikes okay, then yes, he's okay." Iris responded.

Tracey gasped. "How… how did he get into a coma?"

"He was attacked by a Team Rocket agent who had infiltrated our camp. His father managed to save his life, but not to wake him up." Iris replied, mixing up some herbs. "Eat this, okay? It'll help you heal faster."

Tracey nodded and downed the mixture. "Thank you, Iris."

"No problem. It's my job now." Iris said.

"How long has this camp been here?" Tracey asked.

"Ever since Team Rocket took over. Half the gym leaders are here and half are at another camp near Striaton City." Iris responded. "With a shortage of Nurse Joys, they called upon my knowledge of herbs and medicine to help the camp."

"What happened to all the Nurse Joys?" Tracey questioned.

"Some of them were captured, others were killed, and a few got away. Team Rocket didn't want them helping the general public." Iris told him. "Lay down. You need to rest. We'll talk some more another time."

"But you haven't answered all my questions." Tracey said.

"Rest." Iris ordered sternly.

Tracey sighed and lay down with a groan.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he was fast asleep.


	11. Ambush at the Rebel Base

The alarm blared through the camp in the middle of the night.

The door to the bunker slammed open as the boys turned on the lights.

"Team Rocket is ambushing the base! Everyone get ready to fight!" Elesa shouted. She looked straight at Ritchie. "Ritchie, you need to hide Ash!"

"Right!" Ritchie replied.

To everyone's surprise, Ash moaned and opened his eyes as Ritchie lifted him onto his back.

"He's awake?" Henry murmured.

"It doesn't matter. He's still too weak to fight." Elesa said. "Ritchie, remember to take all your pokemon in case you're found."

Ritchie nodded and grabbed his and Ash's pokeballs. Sparky and Pikachu followed him to a hiding place where he found Tracey hiding too.

"Tracey?" Ritchie gasped.

Tracey opened his eyes. "Ritchie? I didn't expect to see you here."

"I… I can fight…" Ash whispered as Ritchie laid him down. "Ritchie, I can fight."

"No you can't, Ash. Not right now." Ritchie told him sternly. "I don't want you to so much as sit up from that position. You'd better listen because Iris _and_ Elesa put me in charge of protecting you."

"Why can't Ash fight?" Tracey asked.

"He's been in a coma for months." Ritchie responded. "He just woke up a few moments ago."

"Really?" Ash was confused. Then, he remembered the night he was attacked. "Ritchie, how did I survive Jerry's attack? He… he… I think he…"

"Apparently, your dad can work miracles." Ritchie replied. "I still don't know how he did it. All that mattered was the fact that you were going to live."

"You… you said that attack was months ago. If that's the case, why is the alarm going off now?" Ash asked.

"Team Rocket is attacking the base. We'd better stop talking now so that they don't find us." Ritchie put a finger to his lips. "Okay?"

Tracey and Ash agreed. Then, Ash went back to sleep and Tracey rested against the wall.

A few minutes passed.

"Ritchie?" Tracey whispered, breaking the silence. "What did Ash's dad say when he came here?"

"He said he was looking for Ash. He told us Team Rocket had taken Ash so that he would cooperate with them and that, when he put out the fires in Pallet Town, Team Rocket probably tried to kill Ash. Ash confirmed that they tried to do that, but his pokemon had gotten him out of the cell seconds before." Ritchie told him. "Ash's father came here in hopes that Ash had managed to escape and he had. I found him not long after his escape and the rebels found us just after Team Rocket did. The rebels helped us get away and treated Ash's injuries after we got to this base. I'll answer any more questions later. Team Rocket is still here."

Tracey nodded and they waited a long time.

Finally, Iris peeked into their hiding place. "Team Rocket's gone, but they took a lot of the rebels with them. Only a spare few managed to escape by hiding."

"Did they take the gym leaders?" Ritchie asked.

"Yes. The gym leaders were some of the only ones whose lives were spared. They must've been taken to the Team Rocket base that's not far from here." Iris answered. "They took Michael and a couple of other strong rebels prisoner too. The rest who didn't manage to hide were slaughtered."

Tracey gasped and Ritchie covered his mouth, eyes wide in horror.

"They… they were killed?" Tracey squeaked. Iris nodded. "Those… those monsters…"

"Come on." Iris said. "The survivors are gathering in the Dining Hall."

"What about Cilan?" Ritchie asked.

"He was captured with the rest of the gym leaders." Iris told them. "He stood his ground instead of hiding. I'm worried about what Team Rocket's planning to do with them. Now come on! We need to get to the…"

A series of shots rang out and Iris jumped into the hiding spot.

When everything was quiet again, she peeked out and then ducked back in when the shooting started up again.

'They're still here.' She mouthed.

When the shooting stopped again, they heard a voice. "I think we got all of them, captain."

Another voice said. "Even if we didn't, I think we got enough of them for the boss to be satisfied."

A third voice replied. "Good. Check any hiding spots you find on the way out. Kill anyone you see unless you find Professor Oak's assistant. He's still due for some more torture before he dies."

"Yes sir!"

The four that were hiding together stayed silent for an even longer time this time.

"Sparky," Ritchie finally whispered. "Check if it's all clear. Check the whole base for Team Rocket before reporting back here. If you see anyone, lead them away from us."

Sparky nodded and left the hiding spot. He returned about a half hour later to tell them it was all clear.

Tracey stood up and walked into the open. Almost immediately, he was grabbed by some hidden Team Rocket grunts.

Sparky shocked the grunts and Tracey, freeing the boy, who ran and hid somewhere else.

"Find him!" One of the grunts growled. "And grab that Pikachu!"

Ritchie released all of his and Ash's pokemon just as Ash came to again.

"What's going on?" Ash mumbled.

"We have to get out of here!" Ritchie hissed. "It's now or never. Sprint for the exit. Our pokemon will follow us."

The three got up and ran, Ritchie helping Ash along. Team Rocket shot at them, but the bullets missed because the grunts also had to deal with the attacking pokemon.

While Ritchie, Iris, and Ash dashed for the front exit, Tracey snuck out the emergency back one. They met up again in Drayden's house in Opelucid City without even planning on it.

"Good. You got away." Iris said in relief. "Sorry for leaving you back there. There was no way for us to get to you without being killed."

"It's okay." Tracey said. "They were too focused on your escape to notice mine. They're probably still looking for me at the base."

"That's good. It'll keep them distracted." Ritchie said. He turned on the television. "Now why don't we get caught up on the news?"

'_This just in. After finding a rebel base near Opelucid City today, we saw these four kids escape punishment._' Ash's, Iris's, Tracey's, and Ritchie's pictures were shown on the screen. '_These kids have a 100,000 dollar reward on each of their heads for whoever turns them in. Those caught helping them will face the death penalty._'

Ritchie shut off the news. "Thanks for the warning, Mr. News Person. Okay, we need disguises and to get as far away from here as possible."

"I'll handle the disguises." Iris offered. "Tracey, can you handle the route?" Tracey nodded and went to find a map. "Ritchie, you keep us up to date on the news." Ritchie agreed.

"What about me?" Ash whispered as she started out of the room.

"You need to rest up so that you'll be well enough to travel. Leave the preparing to us." Iris told him.

"But I want to help too." Ash said.

Iris shook her head firmly. "No, Ash. You just woke up from a coma. You'll be helping us by simply laying down and resting."

Ash sighed, limped over to the couch, which he lay down on, and was soon fast asleep.

Iris watched him for a moment longer before getting to work on their disguises.


	12. Disguised

"Ash. Ash, wake up." Iris shook Ash's shoulder and the boy cracked his eyes open. It was dark out and he had no clue why she'd woken him up.

"What's going on?" Ash whispered.

"Put this on over your clothes." Iris said, handing him a full length cloak.

"Okay, but why now?" Ash asked, slipping on the cloak.

She handed him a hat and sunglasses as well. "We're leaving in a few minutes. We've spent too long in Opelucid City. I think someone knows we're here."

Ash put on the hat and sunglasses and looked in the mirror. "I can't recognize myself."

"Good. That means the disguise works." Iris commented. Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder. "But Pikachu might give you away."

Ash gulped. "What do you mean by that?"

"I _mean_ you need to put Pikachu in his pokeball or Team Rocket will be able to easily root us out." Iris said. "And if we're found, we're all goners."

Ash glanced at Pikachu and then pulled out the dreaded pokeball.

"Pika!" Pikachu shook his head wildly.

"Pikachu… I'm… I'm sorry… but it might be the only way." Ash stammered. "Iris has a point. There aren't many Pikachus to be found in Unova."

Pikachu's ears drooped. Whether he liked it or not, Ash and Iris were right. If the four humans were found, they would be killed.

Lightly, he tapped the button on the pokeball with his nose. Inside, he could still hear Ash's voice.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu. Thank you for understanding." Ash said.

Tracey walked into the room, but, except for the voice, you couldn't tell it was Tracey. "Is everyone ready?"

There was a pounding on the front door. "Open up! We know someone's in there!"

Ritchie ran into the room. "The police have all exits covered! There's no way out!"

Iris finished putting all of her hair into a hat. "Then we'll have to break out. Ash, Tepig can cause some damage."

Ash nodded and called out his Tepig. A rock came through the window in the room they were standing in.

"Tepig! Use Flamethrower through that window!" Ash ordered. Tepig obliged and they followed the Flamethrower out, zooming past the dazed officers who barely got a glance of them.

Once in the woods, Ash fell and was about to get up when someone grabbed his wrists and cuffed them.

"Go on without me!" He yelled, knowing that his companions were waiting to make a move.

"Come back here!" The person holding him, who sounded like Officer Jenny, shouted, telling Ash that the three others had obeyed him and made a run for it. Officer Jenny scowled and pulled Ash to his feet. "At least I got one of them. Come with me, you little trespasser."

Ash gulped, knowing that he'd be turned into Team Rocket now and then be killed for rebelling.

"Tepig!" A Flamethrower caused Officer Jenny to let go of him and stumble sideways.

Ash couldn't tell who it was that got the handcuffs off him, only that it was one of his friends.

"Come on!" Iris cried. "Before more show up!"

Ash nodded and they ran.


	13. Delia Joins the Wanted

Ash, Iris, Ritchie, and Tracey gave sighs of relief when they were finally safe enough to stop and rest. Tepig had hopped onto Ash's shoulder sometime during the flight and now jumped off and curled up next to a tree.

"We'll have to eat fresh fruit from now on. It's too dangerous to make a fire." Iris breathed.

Tracey, Ash, and Ritchie groaned, but had to agree that it was too risky.

"When do you think we'll be free again?" Ash asked later that night.

"There are two ways we can be freed." Tracey answered. "Either we die, or we defeat Team Rocket. I personally prefer the second choice."

Everyone agreed with that.

**A few weeks later…**

Delia sighed as she stepped out of the hotel in Nimbasa City. She'd come to Unova to find Ash, but was having no luck so far. Her second reason was to avoid Michael, whom she thought was still in Kanto. That part, she was having plenty of luck in.

As she walked towards the market, a Team Rocket van pulled in front of her and some grunts exited.

She stopped, knowing it was against the new rules to resist Team Rocket.

The grunts surrounded her. Now, she was scared.

"What do you want? Did I do something wrong?" She whispered.

Two grunts grabbed her arms. Another pulled out a gun, causing Delia's heart to skip a beat.

"No." A fourth told the one holding the gun. "The boss wants her alive. Put her in the van."

The two holding Delia started dragging her towards the van.

Suddenly, a bird pokemon slit the tires of the van and flew into an alleyway.

"What the… WHO DID THAT?" The fourth grunt yelled at the watching bystanders.

Everyone took a step back.

A Tepig, a pokemon Delia recognized as one of the three Unova starters, blasted the grunts from behind with Ember.

Delia made a run for it, the Tepig following her.

"There's no use running, woman! We _will_ find you!" The fourth grunt called after her. "And you will be shown no mercy!"

Delia noticed the Tepig taking the lead and she followed it.

As she got close to wherever Tepig was leading her, she heard a female screaming at someone. "You idiot! You could have gotten caught! What would you have done then? They would have killed you on the spot! You're… you're such a kid!"

"But he didn't get caught. That's what matters." A more familiar voice said. "Calm down, Iris. You would have done the same thing if someone you loved was out there."

Delia's heart skipped another beat. What did they mean by that? Who was it who saved her?

"Tepig! Tepig!" Tepig scratched at a warehouse door.

"Ash, Tepig's by himself, right?" A third voice said. Delia's eyes widened.

"Well…" She heard her son answer.

"Ash!" The three others shouted at him.

"I couldn't just leave her. She's my mom and now she's in much danger as we are." Ash attempted.

"Whatever." The second voice said. "Ritchie, let them in."

Delia's heart skipped yet another beat. The door opened and she hesitantly stepped inside behind Tepig.

The four were wearing cloaks, sunglasses and hats, but took them off once the door was closed again.

Delia was almost surprised to be surrounded by mostly familiar faces. Her focus, however, was on her son.

She tightly embraced the boy, overjoyed to see him alive and well.

"Mom… can't… breathe…" Ash coughed after a minute or two of the hug. Delia released him and realized for the first time that Pikachu wasn't there.

"Where's Pikachu?" She asked.

Ash's expression immediately became one of guilt. "I had to put him in his pokeball so that he wouldn't give us away. He's not very happy about it, nor am I."

Delia sighed and hugged her son more gently this time. "It'll be all right. Pikachu will be just fine." She remembered what had happened to Pallet Town and frowned at the thought of having to tell Ash the bad news. "Ash, there's something I have to tell you. It's about your father."

Ash looked her in the eyes and Delia got the feeling the boy already knew what she was going to say.

She sighed again and pushed the words out of her mouth. "You see, he's joined Team Rocket. He helped in the attack on Pallet Town and then tried to earn our trust again by putting out the fires. Ash, if you see him, don't believe a word he says. He's a liar and a traitor and shouldn't be trusted."

All four kids were silent. Ash shifted out of his mother's grasp uncomfortably.

"Ash, I… I know you don't want to believe it but it's…" Delia began.

"Not true." Ash interrupted. "You didn't know everything that was going on so you made inferences from what you did know."

Delia was upset that her son didn't believe her, but she realized his words sort of rang true. She still didn't know why Michael had done it. Maybe Ash knew the reason he did it and that was why he was standing up for him.

"You're right." Delia said quietly. "I don't know his side of the story. I don't know why he did it. I never gave him the chance to tell me."

"Team Rocket was holding me captive." Ash told her just as quietly. "If he disobeyed a single order, they'd kill me. When he put out the fires, they tried, but my pokemon got me out of there in the nick of time. Then, he came back. He had to know if I was still alive. He regretted putting my life in danger, I know he did, but my life was on the line the whole time and he had to disobey them eventually."

Delia gave her son yet another hug. She hadn't known the whole story and she was sorry she hadn't believed her husband had a good reason for obeying Team Rocket. She was overly relieved Ash had survived the ordeal and wanted to never leave his side again.

"Ash, tell me everything." She said. "I want to know exactly what they did to you so I can get my revenge on them for it later."

Ash shook his head. "No. It doesn't matter anymore. We need to rescue Dad and the others from Team Rocket."

"You can get out your anger on them then, Mrs. Ketchum." Tracey said. "For now, you're going to need a disguise too. I think there's some stuff in this warehouse we could use."

Delia smiled. "I'd be glad to help."


	14. Captured

Since Ash had risked getting them caught, the five left Nimbasa City as soon as Delia's disguise was ready.

They traveled quickly through the forest and were miles from the city by sunrise.

"Time to stop for a break." Iris finally said. The three boys collapsed, exhausted. "I'll go find some fruit and berries."

"You do that." Ritchie agreed. "Meanwhile, the rest of us will take a nap."

"Would you like some help finding that food?" Delia offered.

"No, but thanks anyways. Just watch over those three sleepyheads. They're sure to let their guard down now that we're far from the city." Iris replied.

"Okay." Delia agreed, and then turned to see the three boys curled up by a tree. She smiled. They looked so serene in their sleep.

She heard footsteps and turned around.

Some Team Rocket grunts stood behind her.

"What are you and your kids doing way out here?" One asked.

"We were going for a picnic and the car broke down, so we decided to hike." Delia quickly improvised.

"Strange. It's quite early to be out for a picnic." Another grunt sneered.

"The picnic was yesterday. We decided to stay the night in a cabin in the woods." Delia told them.

"Take them prisoner. We'll get answers from them at the base." A third grunt ordered. He pointed to Ash, Ritchie, and Tracey. "Make sure those three stay asleep."

Delia quickly stepped between the grunts and the kids. "Stay away from them!"

Ash moaned and opened his eyes. Seeing what his mother was facing, he quickly released Tranquill.

"Tranquill! Use Gust!" He yelled. He shook Tracey and Ritchie awake. "Guys! Wake up!"

In a flash, Zippo was out and ready to protect the trainers. Tracey had been taken without his pokemon so he had no way to help.

"Zippo! Flamethrower!"

Iris heard the order and dashed back to where they'd stopped to rest. "Axew! Dragon Pulse!"

With the grunts in a daze, the five grabbed their stuff and ran.

"Hey! Get back here!" The lead grunt yelled. "Liepard! Get them!"

Liepard gave chase, swiftly catching up to the fleeing people.

"Tranquill! Use Air Cutter!" Ash called to his Tranquill, trying to buy them some extra time.

Liepard dodged the attack and leapt onto Ash's back, knocking him down.

His companions heard him cry out, but immediately had to hide as the grunts caught up.

The first grunt pulled the boy up by his wrists and put a knife to his neck. "Make one move to fight back and I'll kill you."

The second grunt tied Ash's hands together and threw the boy's pokeball belt onto the ground, while the lead grunt examined him.

"The others will come back for him. We'll take him to base and lay a trap for his family there. Keep him alive." The lead grunt ordered.

Delia held in a sob as the grunts took her son away.

"We'll get him back." Iris promised. "You heard what they said about keeping him alive. He'll be fine."

"That's what those grunts are planning, but it might not be their boss's idea when he sees him. He's already ordered that Ash be killed twice." Ritchie pointed out. Iris and Tracey glared at him. "What? It's true!"

"We have to rescue him." Tracey said. "Before it's too late. However, we might need help."

As if on cue, they were surrounded by rebels.

A familiar girl stepped forward. "Who are you and what are you doing way out here by yourselves?"

"Um… Hi May." Tracey waved a hand nervously.

May's eyes narrowed, not recognizing Tracey through the disguise. "How do you know my name?"

Tracey took a step forward. "It's me, Tracey, Professor Oak's assistant."

"Prove it." May commanded.

Tracey removed his sunglasses and was about to remove his hat when the revving of a van sounded through the woods.

Everyone turned in the direction of the sound.

"May, there's something you need to know…" Tracey said, ready to tell her that Team Rocket had just taken Ash.

"I don't know if you're really Tracey, but you're going to have to tell me later. Go! Unfezant!" May threw a pokeball, releasing Tranquill's final evolution. "You six, take them back to base. Everyone else, get out your bird pokemon. We're going after them."

**Thank you to PokemonFreak90 for the idea to include May into the story. I will be including another of your ideas as well in the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

Delia paced the cell in the rebel base nervously, waiting for the results of the chase. Ritchie held Ash's pokeball belt in his hands, examining the stitching. Iris and Tracey were conversing softly.

The door opened and May marched in, looking mad. She grabbed Tracey by the cuff of his shirt and slapped him.

"You were just pretending to be Tracey, while your Team Rocket friends got away with the real Tracey, weren't you?" She shouted in his face. "Well you should be happy then, because little friends got away!" Tracey gasped out loud. May slapped him again. "Don't act like you're surprised! I know you had something to do with it!"

"You've got it all wrong, Miss! We're not with Team Rocket!" Ritchie attempted.

"Or was it Professor Oak you had in that car you little monsters?"

"Professor Oak?" All four asked in unison.

"I know he was captured! I got a message from Misty on our _untraceable_ messenger device!" May was bragging now.

"I knew they were working on that but it hadn't been finished when our base was ambushed. I heard Lenora say she was going to destroy it so they couldn't use it to find the other base camps." Iris commented.

May was confused now. "What?"

"You see, May, was it? We're the only survivors of the ambush on the base near Opelucid City. All the others were captured or killed. Well, Mrs. Ketchum joined along the way, but…" Ritchie explained.

May turned to look at Delia, bewildered. All four took off their disguises.

May sighed. "I guess we're not the most hospitable group, but those disguises sure kept me from recognizing you."

"Can you put me down now?" Tracey reminded her.

"Oh! Right!" May put him down.

"Man! You've gotten strong!" Tracey murmured.

May blushed. "Thanks, but that's not the point. Who was in that van that took off?"

"Ash was. We wanted to go after him, but…" Ritchie began.

"We'll find him." May said. "And we'll rescue him. However, we're going to need a plan."

**Meanwhile…**

Ash stumbled along as a strong grunt pulled him by the arm. His hands were tied behind his back and he was afraid to try anything.

Giovanni led the way, leading them past the captured rebels to a heavily guarded door at the end.

Ash watched as the guards stepped aside and Giovanni unlocked the door. He nodded to the guard holding Ash and the boy was shoved into the cell.

"You have two days left with him. He'll die at the public execution at sunrise on the third day." Giovanni announced. "Just like the rest of you filthy rebels." Ash wasn't watching, but was sure Giovanni had just looked around at the other rebels. "You'll be the only one left, Michael. Cooperate and maybe we won't do the same to your wife as we plan to do to your son."

The door slammed shut. Ash still didn't look up from the floor.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ash. We won't let them. I have an idea, but you're going to have to do exactly as I tell you to, okay?"

Ash nodded, staying still as his father untied his hands.

"I've already destroyed the video camera, so we're safe to do whatever we want in here." Michael told him. "So far, I don't think they know you've inherited my abilities. We're going to use that to our advantage." Ash looked uncomfortable. "I'm going to teach you how to use aura to break out of restraints. You'll have to know combat moves as well. Now, here's the plan…"


	16. The Execution

The silence was deafening as the prisoners were lined up in the arena. Each prisoner had two guards covering them, but Ash was apparently a special case, having six guards watching his every move.

Biting his lip, he wondered how he'd manage to carry out the plan if he had six guards stuck on him.

Giovanni stepped up to the podium and tapped the microphone to make sure it worked. All around the world, people were being forced to watch the execution. He wanted them to hear what he had to say.

"Today, we come together to watch the punishment of being part of the rebellion." He announced. "Each rebel will be permitted ten last words before they are killed." He motioned to the guards around Ash and the boy was pushed forward. "First up, we have a boy who escaped the attack on the rebel base near Opelucid City and attempted to get away with travelling around Unova incognito. However, he was captured two days ago and I would like to tell his fellow escapees that they won't be able to hide forever. Any last words, child?"

Ash was silent, waiting for the perfect chance, but feeling that chance wouldn't come.

"No words? Oh well. You had your chance. Time for the main event." Giovanni sneered. "Get him ready."

Ash fought back as he was shoved towards the center of the arena. He heard an explosion and turned to see rebels breaking into the arena. His guards stopped pushing, distracted.

Seeing his chance, Ash broke free of his restraints and shot both guards that were holding him with Aura Spheres. Then, he ran for higher ground.

"Grab that boy!" He heard Giovanni yell.

Turning slightly, he saw the four guards he hadn't hit catching up fast. He fired what his father called an 'Aura Bomb' at their feet. Three of the four fell and it only took a small Aura Sphere to get the fourth out of the way.

Reaching the top of the bleachers, Ash turned around to face the center of the arena.

Aiming at the death device, he shot a beam of aura, quickly totaling the thing.

Giovanni was speechless. He'd just been humiliated on a worldwide broadcast.

Ash wasn't done yet, though. Next, he freed every single prisoner in the arena, including the rebels that had just been seized and his father.

Michael raced straight for Giovanni. The Team Rocket leader had no chance. When Michael was done, Giovanni was dead.


End file.
